Thursday, November 15, 2007

The conductor who hated compromise

"Futile to await your letter my decision is final. I have only one way of thinking and acting. I hate compromise. I walk and I shall always walk on the straight path that I have traced for myself in life. Cordial greetings." - Cable from Arturo Toscanini to Bruno Walter about Toscanini's refusal to conduct in Salzburg in 1938 because of the links between the German and Austrian Governments.

Photograph from Berlin 1932 is an interesting case study in compromise. Follow the links to find out how they stood the test. From left to right Bruno Walter, Arturo Toscanini, Erich Kleiber, Otto Klemperer and Wilhelm Furtwängler. Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report broken links, missing images and errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

5 comments:

Again: what would you have Dudamel and Abreu do? Toscanini's gesture didn't directly endanger the educational welfare of a quarter of a million primarily disadvantaged children. Would you have them compromise the efficacy of El Sistema just so they can appear to not compromise politically? Yes? No?

It is amazing what can be achieved by a 'gesture'. It is even more amazing what can be achieved by 'gestures' by young people.

Just eighteen years ago a 'gesture' by young people in Leipzig triggered the collapse of communism across Europe, and it was even supported by a prominent East German conductor - http://theovergrownpath.blogspot.com/2006/03/i-am-camera-leipzig.html

'Gestures' by a black musician helped to bring racial equality to the US - http://theovergrownpath.blogspot.com/2007/01/classical-music-can-help-change-world.html

'Gestures were the watershed that began the removal of discrimination against gay and transgender people - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonewall_riots

So, let's see -- so far, the Chavez government has been equated to Nazi Germany, Communism, systemic racism, and systemic homophobia.

Let's not give him too much credit, all right? While there is no question that Chavez is an antidemocratic thug, Chavez is not Venezuela any more than Bush is America. (Although, you know, if we are comparing death tolls... )

I have not seen anyone insist that American orchestras and conductors touring abroad have the responsibility to, at minimum, pull a US Bridge Team.

Perhaps they should. But perhaps, if we are going to compare modern-day politicians to Nazis and Communists, we should remember who it is that has suspended habeas corpus, set up a system of international gulags, authorized torture, and waged a disastrous preemptive war that has cost hundreds of thousands of innocent lives.